


If It Dreams, Is It?

by bofoddity



Category: SCP Foundation
Genre: Gen, Historical References, Science Experiments, Sculpture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-02 11:52:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2811041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bofoddity/pseuds/bofoddity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Foundation takes SCP-978 to Madame Tussauds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If It Dreams, Is It?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [debirlfan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/debirlfan/gifts).



**Introduction:** In project ████████ , which started on ██/██/████; and was completed in ██/██/████, it was discovered that it's possible for figures and portraits based on specific living things to develop sentience over time. Development of sentience can start either right after conception of the object or later during object's span of existence. At the moment it's unknown what factors or circumstances cause the process to take place.

To investigate this further, a decision was made to conduct an experiment using SCP-978 to determine the sentient status of the subjects. Wax works of Madame Tussauds were chosen as test subjects because of their history, long-evity and regular contact with humans. Subjects include creations both from the museum's early days and the more recent ones.

Whether it's necessary to define the objects found to be sentient as anomalies is to be decided later.

**Testing with wax works of Madame Tussauds**  


**Subject:** "Sleeping Beauty" figure, the oldest of existing figures. The figure was modeled after Madame du Barry, a courtesan and royal mistress who was killed during the Reign of Terror.  
 **Photographed Activity:** Subject is lying on a divan, appearing to be sleeping. In-built mechanism is moving the subject's chest up and down to simulate breathing.  
 **Photo Result:** Subject is still lying on the divan, but the surroundings have changed from the museum to a room full of wax sculptures and masks. The features of the masks are indistinct, sculptures appear to be either incomplete or can only be spotted as silhouettes due to dim lighting of the room. The divan is also standing in the shadows, the subject's position is mostly the same but it has covered its face with its arm. There are no signs of other people being present.

 **Subject:** Charlie Chaplin figure, dressed as "The Tramp". A cane is hanging off the subject's left arm and there's a prop cigar in the left hand.  
 **Photographed Activity:** Subject is standing still in the museum.  
 **Photo Result:** Subject has taken its hat off and put it on the head of the cane, and the cane has been set aside against the wall. Subject is in the middle of lighting the cigar, which is now real.

 **Subject:** Daniel Craig figure, dressed as "James Bond".  
 **Photographed Activity:** Subject is standing still.  
 **Photo Result:** Pose hasn't changed, but the subject now looks like young Sean Connery.  
 **Note:** _Is that Craig's wish or Bond's? - Dr. ████_  
 **Note #2:** _The correct question is whether it's subject's own wish or if the wishes of other people present are affecting the outcome of the photo. - Dr. █████_  
 ~~ **Note #3** : _The more correct question is why they have made figures for both Brosnan and Craig as Bond but there has never been a figure for Dalton. - ██_~~  
 **Addendum:** Third note is irrelevant to the experiment, save the Bond talk for other venues. Points made in the first two notes can be discussed further outside the log. - Dr. ████████

 **Subject:** Abraham Lincoln figure.  
 **Photographed Activity:** Subject is sitting in a chair.  
 **Photo Result:** Subject is still sitting, but it has shifted its position a little and it's holding a large book in its hands. Two human toddlers are sitting in the subject's lap while two older children are reading the book over the subject's shoulders, hanging onto the subject. Details of the book aren't distinct enough to read, but the cover implies that it's some kind of a picture book.  
 **Addendum:** None of the children in the photo have been identified, but it's been confirmed that none of them are Lincoln's own. The appearances don't match, second of the older children is a girl and the toddlers appear to be twins; Lincoln had no daughters and all of his children were of different ages. At the moment children are assumed to be visitors of the museum, either from different families or the same one.

 **Subject:** Hugh Hefner figure.  
 **Photographed Activity:** Subject is sitting on a couch covered in red silk, with a drink in hand. Two female museum visitors have sat down on both sides of the subject, giggling.  
 **Photo Result:** [DATA EXPUNGED]  
 **Note:** _Well, it IS based on Hugh Hefner. - Dr. ████_

 **Subject:** The Beatles figures, in their early incarnation.  
 **Photographed Activity:** Subjects are all sitting/lying on the couch, appearing to be middle of playing. The female visitors who were seen with the Hefner figure are standing behind the couch, leaning over to mingle with the band members and making faces at the camera.  
 **Photo Result:** [DATA EXPUNGED]  
 **Note:** _It wasn't just Hefner in the Hefner photo. - Dr. ████_

 **Subject:** Tyra Banks figure.  
 **Photographed Activity:** Subject is standing still.  
 **Photo Result:** Otherwise unchanged, but subject's facial expression is more exaggerated.  
 ~~ **Note:** _According to my niece it's smiling with its eyes. - Dr. ████_~~  
 **Addendum:** Irrelevant to the experiment. And don't lie, you wouldn't really share confidential information about test subjects with outsiders, or do you? - Dr. ████████  
 ~~ **Note #2:** _The right term is "smize". - ██_~~  
 **Addendum #2:** Still irrelevant! - Dr. ████████

 **Subject:** Oprah Winfrey figure.  
 **Photographed Activity:** Subject is sitting in its chair. Research assistant ██ is sitting in the chair next to the subject's chair, body turned towards the subject while subject is looking elsewhere, probably towards the cameras if this was a setting for a TV-show.  
 **Photo Result:** Subject has turned toward research assistant ██, leaning forward in implication of interest. ██ has slumped forward and seems to be crying. Subject's left hand is lifted, perhaps to reach out to comfort ██ , but the gesture is left incomplete.  
 **Note:** _I can't think of anything I would cry about, but I'm sure she'd be able to wring something out of me. - ██_

 **Subject:** Madame Tussauds figure. This version of Madame Tussauds seems to represent the older Madame who lived in 19th century Britain, wearing black.  
 **Photographed Activity:** Subject is standing still.  
 **Photo Result:** The museum remains as the environment, but all humans are gone. There are Madame Tussauds figures all over the museum; both the elder version and the younger version, who wears white and holds a wax head in its hand, are represented among the figures. Some figures are alone, some are in pairs or groups. All figures are observing the other wax works, many of them appear to be making comments.


End file.
